Prospects for a swift end to the 4-day-old partial government shutdown all but vanished Friday as lawmakers squabbled into the weekend and increasingly shifted their focus to a midmonth deadline for averting a threatened first-ever default.

Liberals and their ilk obviously won the executive branch of the United States government for another four years with the reelection of President Barack Obama, but they still pick fights as much as they did before the election – if not more.

The day after the voters spoke in our democracy, Republicans sought to set aside the results and focus on winning next time. It is not just a losing proposition for Republicans, it is a losing proposition for America.